Lower gas prices = more road trips or cruises?

[mcatmcat]

Hello

 

Since we are in cruise critic with a registered account chances are that we love going in a cruise and it's the best vacation. But what do you think ordinary people outside cruise critics are going to do in 2016 with gas prices going this low? People will have more money to spend but do you think their next vacation will be onboard a ship or a different vacation type.

 

Most of my friends are considering road trips and even vacation outside the US. Even when they like going in a cruise they felt it was the only option they had back in the day since gas prices was affecting everything in a domino effect. Now they believe this is the perfect time to explorer something different or go back to what they really wanted to do in a vacation and are not even taking in consideration going in a cruise because is not really a good value now.

 

What are your thoughts?

[katpetal]

we're planning to road trip TO a cruise LOL

[eddiesgal]

we're planning to road trip TO a cruise LOL

 

Exactly what I was going to say!!! LOL

[TravelerThom]

Note that lower gas prices have given many people more disposable income, thereby increasing demand for cruises and pushing cruise prices higher. Given that road trips have gone down in price, and cruises have gone up in price, road trips are looking more and more attractive.

[Bookish Angel]

and that might include more travel but definitely more toward retirement.

[A&L_Ont]

OP, have your friends come to Canada for their road trip. With 30% exchange rate advantage their dollar will go even further.

[hancogran]

we're planning to road trip TO a cruise LOL

 

Same for us. With our weak Canadian dollar, driving to Florida helps keep the expenses down a bit... and your gas is cheaper than ours! :D

[rvmike]

We are doing more road trips. With the money saved we bought a new car to tow behind the motorhome. With cruise prices rising, perks going away and service not quite the same we will enjoy the good old USA. Typically cruise 4-5 times a year but just can't get excited anymore.

[YubaSutter]

Lower gas prices means I can save even more during the year for any type of vacation.

[Essiesmom]

I would love to do a road trip. 3 years ago we did one that took 33 days. Unscripted, poking into our past, then exploring the Southwest. But it really was an expensive trip. My goal was to avoid chain hotels and restaurants, and stay off the interstates. We were least successful with the hotels, although we did stay in some very interesting places. I figure it cost as least as much as a cruise of that length, maybe more. But it was one of the best times we have had. EM

[Flatbush Flyer]

Hello

 

Since we are in cruise critic with a registered account chances are that we love going in a cruise and it's the best vacation. But what do you think ordinary people outside cruise critics are going to do in 2016 with gas prices going this low? People will have more money to spend but do you think their next vacation will be onboard a ship or a different vacation type.

 

Most of my friends are considering road trips and even vacation outside the US. Even when they like going in a cruise they felt it was the only option they had back in the day since gas prices was affecting everything in a domino effect. Now they believe this is the perfect time to explorer something different or go back to what they really wanted to do in a vacation and are not even taking in consideration going in a cruise because is not really a good value now.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

 

Though cruising can be an excellent vacation, I'd hardly consider it the "best" option.

We cruise to experience a "sampler" of brief stops in locations we might consider for a longer return trip. It is those extended stays in a specific place (where the geography and culture can be truly experienced) that make for the best vacation.

Thus, seldom would we select a cruise itinerary that includes a previously visited port.

[maryann ns]

For Americans this is a great time to visit Canada as our dollar is very low and gas is low as well. You can see so much more on a land tour.

[navybankerteacher]

If you do the arithmetic, falling fuel prices, while great, are not likely to have too great an impact on the number of cruises people take. How many dollars will an average couple save in a year if the price of a gallon of gas is a dollar less? Someone driving a 30 mpg car 15,000 miles per year will save $500. Yes - that is $500 more in his pocket, which makes any discretionary purchase easier, but how many cruises will $500 buy?

[TravelerThom]

If you do the arithmetic, falling fuel prices, while great, are not likely to have too great an impact on the number of cruises people take...

Actually I don't think fuel prices will have ANY impact on the number of cruises taken. For many years Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (stock symbol RCL) and Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) have had average occupancy between 104% and 105% (100% is all the double occupancy beds full; 3rd and 4th passengers in a cabin push occupancy above 100%). RCL & CCL own 75% of the world's capacity, so their numbers are quite representative of what is happening worldwide. Cruise supply at any moment is fixed (it does change when a ship enters or leaves service); cruise lines adjust prices to sell virtually all of their available capacity. The variable is not the number of cruises taken, but rather the price at which those cruises are sold. Current cruise prices are higher than in the past few years.

[iancal]

We live in Canada. The exchange is too high. No cruises or travel to the U.S. for us. This winter we will go to Thailand..not even considering Florida or Hawaii.

 

Drove into the U.S. For a few hours about seven weeks ago. The border lineup was five minutes......30 minutes is the norm at this crossing/time of day. Mind you, even with the exchange gas and dairy products were less expensive but restaurants and hotels are too expensive. There are lots of other travel alternatives for us.

Edited January 3, 2016 by iancal

[DanJ]

Price of gas is lower here in Canada, but not hugely lower because of the dollar exchange rate. Of course, if the exchange was better, then that would be because oil is higher so gas prices would be higher anyway lol. Gas here is 90 cents a litre, which works out to about $2.40 per gallon in US dollars, not sure how good that is compared to gas prices in the US. I knew our upcoming cruise was going to be painful due to exchange rate, I'm just glad I made regular payments on it since I booked it last March.

 

My parents and my inlaws spend their winters in Florida, and they are talking about cutting back next year or not going at all, and most of their friends they meet up with down there are talking the same. I'm sure parts of Florida are going to feel a pinch next year, unless the Canadian snowbirds are replaced by American snowbirds

[rvmike]

We take the motorhome out once a year on a 30 day trip. Average cost is $2500 for the gas and campsites for both of us.. Food we have to eat so not counted. Will also be doing more local 3-5 day trips. Cruising is fun but after 30 it is hard to get excited and those long flights are no fun

[Cruisin' Chick]

With a daughter who's now going to college a fair distance away, we've been doing some road trips this year. Since we have tiny trunks in our cars, we have rented a car (usually intermediate size for the gas mileage) and headed to see her. Currently planning our next trip to return her after winter break is over (last month she took the bus part of the way and we met her two thirds of the way). We could probably fly part of the way (the airport nearest her is pretty small and flights to it are expensive and only from/to selective airports) so driving seems to our method for now.

[NMLady]

Savings in gas prices means more money in the cruise fund. :)

[jennmaybe]

We do a road trip every summer (with our daughter) and a cruise every fall (just hubby & myself, daughter not interested in cruising). However, we didn't even cruise in 2015, mainly because of cruise prices. First time in I don't know when. :(

 

We did; however, road trip it from NC out to Mt. Rushmore, with stops in Chicago, MN & St. Louis. For 3 of us, we still spent nearly $1000 less than a 7 day cruise just for hubby and myself.

 

We do have a cruise booked for this fall, only because we booked it a year ago and took advantage of NCL's free UBP promo. We were really excited about it, but now, after all the increases and extra fees they've added, we're just not that excited anymore. Had we not already booked airfare (again, killer deal!) and my mother-in-law and her friend were not going with us, we would have already cancelled.

 

This will probably be our last cruise for a while, since we're getting ready to be in the same boat as Cruisin Chick--our daughter goes to college this fall, so our time and oh, money :D, will be spent on her!

[Cruisin' Chick]

We do a road trip every summer (with our daughter) and a cruise every fall (just hubby & myself, daughter not interested in cruising). However, we didn't even cruise in 2015, mainly because of cruise prices. First time in I don't know when. :(

 

We did; however, road trip it from NC out to Mt. Rushmore, with stops in Chicago, MN & St. Louis. For 3 of us, we still spent nearly $1000 less than a 7 day cruise just for hubby and myself.

 

We do have a cruise booked for this fall, only because we booked it a year ago and took advantage of NCL's free UBP promo. We were really excited about it, but now, after all the increases and extra fees they've added, we're just not that excited anymore. Had we not already booked airfare (again, killer deal!) and my mother-in-law and her friend were not going with us, we would have already cancelled.

 

This will probably be our last cruise for a while, since we're getting ready to be in the same boat as Cruisin Chick--our daughter goes to college this fall, so our time and oh, money :D, will be spent on her!

 

While on our most recent cruise (we got off the ship three years and two days ago), the girl told us that we should be saving money for her college.:rolleyes: On the plus side, she's going to a public school so the tuition, housing, books, etc. are costing a lot less than half of the private college tuition that one girl around the corner (a kinder mate of hers) is paying. Assuming that the cost of gas doesn't go way up before this next trip, rental car, hotels, gas, food will probably be a lot less than a 7-day Alaskan cruise (not counting hotel, flights, etc.). I didn't go on road trips with my family (at least longer than 200 miles) when growing up so it's an adventure for me.

[jennmaybe]

While on our most recent cruise (we got off the ship three years and two days ago)' date=' the girl told us that we should be saving money for her college.:rolleyes: On the plus side, she's going to a public school so the tuition, housing, books, etc. are costing a lot less than half of the private college tuition that one girl around the corner (a kinder mate of hers) is paying. Assuming that the cost of gas doesn't go way up before this next trip, rental car, hotels, gas, food will probably be a lot less than a 7-day Alaskan cruise (not counting hotel, flights, etc.). I didn't go on road trips with my family (at least longer than 200 miles) when growing up so it's an adventure for me.

 

Yes! Since public is much cheaper, we already told our daughter to think really hard about her college choice. We told her many times we are not working until we are 100 years old just to pay for her tuition! Besides, we have cruises to take and margaritas to drink! :D:D

 

Same here! We're hoping that since we started traveling with our daughter while she was young, that she will also have a passion for travel and continue to do it even after she grows up and has her own family.

[Warm Breezes]

Yes! Since public is much cheaper, we already told our daughter to think really hard about her college choice. We told her many times we are not working until we are 100 years old just to pay for her tuition! Besides, we have cruises to take and margaritas to drink! :D:D

 

Same here! We're hoping that since we started traveling with our daughter while she was young, that she will also have a passion for travel and continue to do it even after she grows up and has her own family.

 

We have 2 now going to a local (5 minutes away) university and living at home. DS will be graduating in April with a Journalism major and Public Relations minor. DD is a freshman looking at elementary education as a major. While we have been saving for their college education since they were born, their choice in university and living arrangements saved us and them a lot of money. They will be graduating debt free with money in their bank account that they saved. The one thing we never skipped over the years was taking a family vacation. Whether it was on land or on sea we made sure to take at least one week long + vacation every year with them, as well as some weekend trips and adult only trips. It is our chance to recharge and reconnect with each other. Our kids have gone on 10 cruises and I can't even tell you how many land vacations.

 

Gas prices have never really been a factor. We would decide what type of vacation we wanted then priced things out from there. Sometimes our vacations were a mixture of both land and sea. It's been 3 years since we have done a cruise with the kids. We have recently done shorter land vacations with them and cruises as adult vacations because we couldn't fit a cruise in our combined 2 jobs (DH and myself), high school, dance, and college schedules. I am trying to plan a cruise for May, 2 weeks after DS graduates. It may be our last one before DS moves out and makes his own life. Unfortunately I have suffered health issues since August which may cause this not to happen. I have to wait for a CT Scan in February and the ok from the doctor before I can book anything. If we can't do a cruise, we will probably do some type of land vacation with them where I would have quicker access to appropriate medical attention if necessary. So for us gas is not our deciding factor right now...my health is. If we do cruise though we would be driving to the port instead of flying....but that again is related more to my health than gas prices. I am praying for healing. I would really like one more cruise with just my DH and the kids. I miss the times we have together on them.

[CowPrincess]

Hello

 

Since we are in cruise critic with a registered account chances are that we love going in a cruise and it's the best vacation. But what do you think ordinary people outside cruise critics are going to do in 2016 with gas prices going this low? People will have more money to spend but do you think their next vacation will be onboard a ship or a different vacation type.

 

Most of my friends are considering road trips and even vacation outside the US. Even when they like going in a cruise they felt it was the only option they had back in the day since gas prices was affecting everything in a domino effect. Now they believe this is the perfect time to explorer something different or go back to what they really wanted to do in a vacation and are not even taking in consideration going in a cruise because is not really a good value now.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

This isn't intended to make you feel badly for asking, but there is another side to the "bonanza" of lower gas prices.

 

We are in an area hard-hit with the economic downturn that is creating those lower gas prices.

 

Lots of people have lost their jobs. No one that I know has "more money to spend" and lots of people will be taking no vacation. The Canadian dollar is closely tied to the price of a barrel of oil, and is in the tank compared to the US $. ($1000 US now costs us around $1400 Cdn to buy.) so that is even LESS money to spend if you are Canadian.

 

I certainly encourage anyone who has not yet visited Canada, or has been dreaming of another trip here, to do it now, while the US $ has a LOT of purchasing power.

[bakersdozen12]

Can't drive to Caribbean islands, so we will stick to cruising!